Attachment for speed-recorders.



G. A. BOWDEN & J. F. GORDON. ATTACHMENT FOR SPEED RECORDERS. APPLICATION FILED MAR.30, 1914 1,131,668. Patented Mar.16,1915.

UNTTED STATES PATENT @FFTCE.

CLYDE A. BOWDEN AND JOSEPH F. GORDON, OF GARRETT, INDIANA.

ATTACHMENT FOR SPEED-RECOR-DERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

Application filed March 30, 1814.. Serial No. 828,366.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CLYDE A. Bowman and JOSEPH F. GORDON, citizens of the United States, residing at Garrett, in the county of Dekalb and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Attachment for Speed-Recorders, of which the following is a specification. 1

This invention relates to attachments for speed recorders for railway locomotives and more particularly to an improved binding post to be used in connection therewith.

In the Boyer speed records now in use on railway locomotives, a thin operating wire is used which occasionally breaks or becomes caught, thereby leaving the engineer without means of ascertaining when he has attained the speed limit, and, in order to overcome this disadvantage, our attachment is applied to the recorder in connection with other mechanism for audibly indicating when the said speed limit is reached.

The particular object of our invention is the provision of a novel binding post which will be especially adapted to the above recorder and by which, upon operation of the same, a circuit will be opened and closed to ring a bell or other suitable indicating means.

A further object of this invention is to improve and simplify devices of this character rendering them comparatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, reliable and efficient in use, and readily operated.

\Vith the above and other objects in view this invention resides in the novel features of construction, formations, combinations and arrangements of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side view of the upper portion of a speed recorder showing our invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional view through one of the guide rods showing our invention in plan view. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of our attachment removed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings by similar characters of reference throughout the several views, the numeral 1 designates generally a portion of a speed recorder in which is shown the customary oil pressure operated rod 2 carrying at its upper end the customary cross head 3 slidable in the guide rods t which extend vertically from the recorder 1 in spaced parallel relation to each other.

Our improved binding post, designated generally by the numeral 5, is mounted upon one of the guide rods 1 and comprises a clamping block 6 of any suitable non-conducting material formed with a vertical opening 7 and spaced yielding arms 8 provided with laterally extending alining openings 9 arranged to receive a clamping screw 10 which passes therethrough.

One of the arms 9 is provided with a seat 11 angular in formation and designed to receive the corresponding head 12 of a con tact spring 13 which depends from the clamping block 6 in substantially parallel relation to the guide rods 4, in the path of the cross head 3.

A nut 14 is threaded upon the clamping screw 10 and contacts with the adjacent arm 9 for the purpose of forcing the said arms together and firmly clamping the block 6 upon the guide rod 4 in the desired position. A cap 15 is also threaded upon the screw 10 for the purpose of retaining the flexible conductor 16 in position. This conductor 16 is connected to a battery 17 which is in turn connected by a conductor 18 to the bell 19. A conductor 20 connects this bell 19 to the metal of the recorder 1.

The operation of the device is as follows: As the speed of the locomotive to which the recorder 1 is applied increases the cross head 3 is forced upwardly on the guides 4 until the same contacts with the spring 13 thereby closing the circuit through the frame of the recorder 1, the spring 13 and screw 10 and the conductors 16. 18 and 20. and ringing the bell 19, which indicates to the engineer that the speed limit has been reached. The adjustment of the binding post 5 upon the guide 1 makes it possible to set the device to ring the bell at various limits of speed.

It should be understood in this connection that various changes in the specific details of construction can be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from or sacrificing any of the ad vantages of the invention.

From the foregoing disclosures taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be manifest that an attachment for speed recorders is provided which will fulfil all of the necessary requirements of such a device.

Having thus fully described this invention, What we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described, in combination With a guide rod, a nonconducting clamp, arms extending from said clamp a fastening device passing through said arms for securing the clamp in its adjusted positions upon the guide rod, and a contact spring carried by the clamp and retained in position by said fastening device.

2. In a device of the character described, in combination With a guide rod, a nonconducting clamp having an opening therein for receiving the guide rod, spaced arms formed upon said clamp and provided with alining openings, a fastening device passing through said openings, one of said arms having a seat formed therein, a contact spring disposed Within said seat and retained therein against displacement by the fastening device, locking means upon said fastening device, and a cap adjustable upon said fastening device.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination with a guide rod, a clamp formed of non-conducting material slidable upon said guide rod, said clamp having spaced arms extending therefrom, said arms having alining openings formed therein, a clamping screw passing through said openings, a seat formed upon one of said arms, a contact spring having a head disposed Within said seat and retained therein by the clamping screw, a nut threaded upon said screw and engaging one of the clamping arms, and a cap threaded upon the screw and movable thereon to and from said nut, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures in presence of tWo Witnesses.

CLYDE A. BOIVDEN. JOSEPH F. GORDON. lVitnesses:

GEORGE M. TEAL, WILLIAM PORTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington. D. C. 

